Thursday, April 26, 2012

Google's servers and computers keep track of me. Where I've shopped. What web sites I've visited. Google sends emails inviting me to join Google+. Not going to happen. They already know enough about me. As a nomadic loner and not a social internet groupie (no Facebook or Twitter), there is no reason to join Google's social network.

However, that is not the subject of this post. Google also collects stats about my blog posts and breaks it down many different ways on the Blogger stats page.

The all time most frequently viewed page is Airplane Nose Art. Posted originally Oct 25, 2010, I first noted its popularity about nine months ago when I had the most popular posts gadget on my blog site. Still have no clue why the on-going interest in World War II airplane nose art. Each time I check the stats, according to search criteria posted, these are original views. The page views are not the result of StumbleUpon or similar type internet service.

Herbie Around The World is the next in line for total views. It doesn't come close with about a third of the first place views. To complete their world tour, Zainab and Domi are currently driving through South America without the trailer in tow. Follow their South American travels at Herbie's World Tour.

When Pledge Revision was posted, there was some concern that my rewriting of the Pledge of Allegiance would go viral. It didn't and follows next with about 100 less views than Herbie's post.

The stats also include a search criteria list. That provides a glimpse in how the internet community gets to my site. When titling blog posts, I may have to be more careful in the future. Reporting my experiences with the bee sting in Natural Wrinkle Remover is one of those poor titling decisions. Those internet surfers looking for natural wrinkle removal had to be disappointed that they would have to be stung by a bee.

The Google stats have a lot of objective numbers. However, there is no interpretation of the subjectivity. Why the interest in World War II airplane nose art.

The answers to some questions will remain a mystery. Actually, I like it that way. Life needs mystery.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

With predicted temps in the mid 90s, this was a good time for an early and short hike. Headed out to Devils Arch. Should have walked the mile to the trail head. That four wheel drive road is meant for the pink Jeeps with a softer suspension. The heavy suspension on my one ton diesel makes for one really rough ride.

On the trail, the Red Rock Country with stunning views is in every direction.

Soon the arch comes into view with a couple of hikers atop the arch.

Catching a father son team leaving the arch.

A visitor assumes a Yoga pose.

After watching his hiking companion jump the chasm at the end other end of the arch,

this hiker returned the way he came. The sane solution.

That arch looked wide enough for me
to walk across. That was my intellectual brain telling my irrational
brain that it would be easy. However, the rational brain lost the
argument to the acrophobia as I approached the narrower portions of the
arch. At least I didn't freeze. That is the reaction for some with
acrophobia.

Install a railing and I would be able to walk across. But what is the fun in that.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

There is a long list of accumulated ideas for blog posts. However, some days I feel no great desire to spend the time creating and editing those subjects into a coherent blog post. Today is one of those days.

Today is just a photo log of several hikes shared with a serious hiker Jim. Jim is boon docking atop the hill above Thousand Trails. It was time for us to catch up on lives and travels while we hiked some pretty breath taking Red Country. Some scenic. Some flora. Some fauna.

Jim at the pool on Bell Trail.

Jim at an overlook.

Could this really be a dinosaur foot print.

No rattles on this five foot guy, but he still startled me when spotted.

Searching my wild flower books in vain, I was unable to find anything that looked like this. Note the round leaf encompassing the flower stem. Most unusual.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

The promise of blue skies appeared late yesterday when the sun found a gap to peak through the gray clouds. Great. I would be able to wears shorts -- again.

For a guy who wears shorts and Hawaiian shirts every day, the day reminded me that I might be a "Lost Hawaiian."

Yesterday was spent at home. With frequent rain showers, strong winds and temperatures in the 40s, it was not shorts weather. Wore long pants all day yesterday -- inside. That is a rarity. Looking much better this morning. Temps are in the 50s.

Image is one thing, but warmth is another. Perhaps carrying more fat might help me to stay warmer. And that would mean…. Don't want to go there.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Doing the morning cross word while listening to the radio, I could hear the distinctive three note sound of a cardinal. Looked out and saw the guy perched in a tree. Couldn't miss the red on the blue background.

Grabbed the Canon SX40 and took several shots of the guy. Continuing his three note song, I moved a little closer for more shots. He didn't move, but may have actually posed for the photos. Without a photo release and monetary incentive, the red guy was not moving to someplace with less tree branches.

My dining table window faces east for a view of the Verde River and beyond. Upon arrival, the trees along the river were brown sticks. Since my arrival, I've been fortunate to see the trees become the bright green of spring. I should have been taking a photo each day as a time lapse record of the change.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Last fall passing through Prescott, I was reading a Seniors publication and saw Rod's name teaching a computer class. Was this the one time co-worker from Samsonite in the early 1970s. It was Rod's photo that accompanied the article. With an email address, we exchanged emails at that time, but couldn't find a good time to get together.

This spring was a better time. Met for lunch and chatted about what has happened in personal and business life in the past 40 years. Then we realized how old we were when we started talking about computing equipment that resides in computer museums: IBM S/360 computers; core memories; 5081 punch cards; IBM 2314 disks; etc. The industry has matured. Today my MacBook Pro might have more computing power and disk storage capacity (including my outboard hard disks) than all the computers in Denver of 1970.

After an excellent lunch, we took a walk around nearby Lynx Lake to continue chatting about life and living. For me, Prescott is one of those places which is an attractive stopping place when giving up the nomadic traveling. Rod has lived here for about five years and shared his high points of Prescott. It helped corroborate my observations from previous visits.

Friday, April 6, 2012

The scariest thing on most of the hikes around Sedona is meeting a Pink Jeep when least expected. Didn't meet one of those, but this scary creature managed to crawl out of the 25 million year old rocks and scare the ---- out of me.

The rocks are that old. C'mon now. What does this look like to you. Maybe in three dimension, it had a very different impact on my over active imagination.

Whenever, I hike these canyons, I feel so insignificant in this natural world. I realize that these rock layers were deposited millions of years ago followed by as many millions to erode the shapes and beauty that exists in the rock formations seen here. The dichotomy is that at the same time I feel so significant that I can actually be here to marvel over Nature's creation.

Beauty exists on every trail. On the Baldwin-Templeton trail at the base of Cathedral Rock, here are some photos from that hike.

After reading that, an escape is required. Booze and drugs would work. However, that is not good for health. Nor is that a good idea early in the morning. So I headed off on a hike. Nothing like a hike (any exercise) to calm a troubled mind.

There are lots of choices for hiking in the Sedona Red Rocks Country. Most are heavily used. The trail chosen did not have a single hiker. Or a bike rider. Nor were there any pink Jeeps. The trail didn't have the expansive views or lots of bare rock. No reason for the tourist to be on this trail. Or near it.

It is a fragile world as flora specimens struggle in this arid and powdery terrain.

Probably a fungi on the soil surface that surrounds the base of this very short stem.

Then there was this specimen which may have been less than three inches across.

The hike worked. Felt much better. Then there was the nap upon my return home. Life is great.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Taking a "vacation" from Ouray, Bobbie and Mark (Box Canyon Blog) have been boon docking the past week south of the Village of Oak Creek while Bobbie was taking a water color class. According to Bobbie it was all about Flower Power.

Last Wednesday, Mark and I hiked while Bobbie was in class. Mark posted about the easy hike at RV Circles Intersect. Mark seems to have a lot of photos of my backside when we hike. This hike was no different. Rather than backsides of other hikers, I selected this gnarled old juniper.

With Bobbie and Mark hanging out in cool Red Rock Country, that gave Marc and Claudia (ItchyHitch What's New) an excuse to make the journey from Yuma to visit and boon dock near them.

To complete the intersecting of RV paths, we met at the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village for lunch at the Oak Creek Brewery.

After several visits to Sedona over the past ten years, this was my first visit to Tlaquepaque. Couldn't go until I pronounced it properly. t-lock-ah-pah-kay. Or something like that.

Nestled in the beautiful and awe inspiring red rock country, Sedona retailers market to the spiritual emotions of all visitors. Whatever your belief may be, there is a retailer to address it: tours to vortex sites; new age gifts; healing crystals; psychic reading and more.

And sometimes, the retailer has too much inventory. Time for a sale to unload the trinkets and doodads that have spiritual significance -- to the tourist-buyer.